Azzi Fudd’s rookie season is over after the Dallas Wings announced that the No. 1 overall pick will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on her right knee next week. Fudd has been dealing with persistent soreness and has not played since Aug. 5. Playing alongside backcourt teammate Paige Bueckers, she finished her first WNBA season averaging 13.1 points, 1.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 30 games.
The Wings selected Fudd first overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft, taking her ahead of Olivia Miles, who went No. 2 to the Minnesota Lynx. Fudd’s injury history includes a torn ACL and MCL in her right knee in 2019 and another ACL and meniscus tear in the same knee in 2023, which ended her UConn season.
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Her latest setback has renewed criticism of Dallas’ draft decision, with some fans questioning why the Wings selected her over Miles given her injury history.
“Wings drafted the wrong player,” Dallas reporter Clarence Hill wrote.
“100% agree!!! Curt Miller needs to be fired!!!!!” one fan mentioned.
“Wings really screwed up years of being the best team with a historic backcourt from a player who played her last year 20 miles away,” a third fan added.
“Us drafting this over Olivia Miles is the kind of blunder that ruins a team for a decade,” another fan posted.
“Can’t take a player with this history #1 especially when they weren’t the best player in the draft to begin with,” one fan said.
“And they took her over Olivia Miles… wild,” another reacted.
The debate continues to linger amid Miles’ impressive rookie campaign. Minnesota’s starting guard has emerged as the league’s top rookie and is also among the favorites to win MVP this season, alongside Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson.
The Wings must now move forward without Fudd as they prepare to face the Indiana Fever on Thursday. Dallas enters the matchup 20-16 and eighth in the standings, with eight regular-season games remaining and its playoff position still at stake.
